Anti-Racist Carnival of South Rome

A neighborhood carnival that speaks of rights

The Anti-Racist Carnival of South Rome is one of the most heartfelt popular parades in the capital. Every year, during the Carnival season, it transforms the streets of the Garbatella and San Paolo districts into a massive open-air theater, where masks, handmade floats, music, and stories become tools to advocate for a fairer and more welcoming world. The event is organized by the social groups that drive the Rete Roma Sud and is held under the patronage of the Municipality VIII of Rome.

From Parco Garbatella to Parco Schuster

The heart of the festival is the parade that traverses the territory of Municipality VIII: the procession kicks off from Parco Garbatella and winds through the neighborhood streets to reach Parco Schuster, at the foot of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. In recent years, the parade has been led by a cargo bike equipped with a sound system and a narrator who brings to life the stories created together with children during the preparatory workshops. It is an itinerant, participatory parade where there are no spectators, only participants.

An open-air workshop

The Anti-Racist Carnival does not just happen on the day of the parade: it is the result of weeks of workshops hosted in youth centers, popular schools, and social spaces across the area. Here, children, families, and volunteers build masks, costumes, and sets, and put their vision of the city into verse. Each edition revolves around a guiding theme that becomes the thread of the procession, addressing topics like anti-racism, peace, hospitality, and environmental care with lightness and imagination.

Music, cultures, and community

The parade is often accompanied by live music and celebrations in the parks: percussion, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, dance, and capoeira accompany the arrival of the procession, in a blend of cultures that is an integral part of the event's identity. The Carnival also involves other neighborhoods in the Municipality, with parades dedicated to children, such as the historic one in the Montagnola district.

An event for all of Rome

Over the years, the Anti-Racist Carnival has become a landmark for families, schools, and neighborhood associations, and more generally for anyone in Rome who wants to experience Carnival as a moment of social connection and commitment. Free and open to all, it unites the popular tradition of dressing up with a message of solidarity that resonates through Garbatella, San Paolo, and the entire South Rome area.